Aphorism #5

“Be hopeful but not foolishly hopeful.”

We are used to and asked to be helpful when we are in the negative emotion or in a bad situation. We try to think of the bright side of the situation and look for the good things happen soon. For example, right now the economy is bad and lots of companied bankrupts. But we are still hopeful and think that the bad time will be over soon. The market will be back and everything will be good again. This is what we mean “hopeful.”

However, we do not recommend “foolishly hopeful.” What is foolishly hopeful? When people are foolishly hopeful, they are looking for something that is not going to happen or doing nothing to them. For example, people who are in their 40’s are hopeful to be like 20’s or go back to their 20’s. This is foolishly hopeful some people have. They are hopeful to something that is not going to happen. It is almost like these people live in the unreal world and at the same time, they waste their energy and time in hoping something that will not happen. So I think the aphorism tells us that we should be optimistic and hopeful but not hopeful for something will not do anything good to us or even will never happen to us.

How do electrolytes work in our body?

There are electrolytes in our body and this is why we are conductive. Not only the electrolytes play the conductive role, but also play a very physical role in our body. If we are lack of electrolytes in our body, some of our body system will become imbalanced, such as our hydration and pH.

Electrolytes are mainly composed of sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and chloride (Cl−) in our body. When they are released in the liquid, they will release the ions. Ions are the very important things to make the electrolytes conductive. So when our body is conductive, it also makes the heart beat, makes the muscle work and makes the nerve convey its messages. So electrolytes actually help our body keep working.

The sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and chloride (Cl−) are also very important to keep our pH balanced. If there is an imbalance on the electrolytes, there will be an imbalance on the hydration and pH. So when we finish exercising, we need to replace some water and electrolytes. This is also the reason why electrolytes are usually found in sports drinks.

Aphorism #4

“When you are utterly frustrated or angry, express these feelings. You don’t have to be nice all the time just most of the time.”

We are taught to be nice to people even though we are mad or angry. I guess this is so common in the Chinese culture. Sometimes I am so angry, but I still wear a smile to the person I am angry at. However, in fact, we do not have to be so nice all the time. Once a while, we should express what we really think and just behave like it. There is nothing wrong with it. I think this way is healthier to our body.

On the other hand, when we express our negative emotion, we should keep in mind that we do not mean to hurt anyone. We just show what the current state in our mind, not trying to harm anything or cause damage to our friendships and other relationships to different people.
So, when we are angry, once a while we don't have to keep it, we can express it on our face. We express it but don't mean to hurt people. We can shout out loudly, or hit something, just don't hurt other people or ourselves.

Lightning & Rubber Shoes

It is believed that lightning is a form of static discharge. Static discharge means that some particles (usually electrons) leave its object and move to different place. So what does the lightning cause? It is has to do the static discharge in the storms. When there is a storm in the sky, it will make the clouds and particles in the sky dash to one another. When they push one another violently, their electrons and protons separate or the electrons move to somewhere else. After a while, all electrons and protons are separated. The positive charged will stay on the top of the clouds and the negative charged will move to the bottom of the clouds. When the negative charged are at the bottom of the clouds, it will induce the positive charged from the surface of the ground. Again, the negative charged from the bottom of the clouds move to the surface of the ground where the positive charged exist. When the negative charged move, there is some energy from the release of the discharging process. It is the releasing energy that causes the lightning.
During a storm, it is better to wear rubber shoes because rubber is one of the insulators. Insulator can make the charge difficult to move or pass. So when we wear rubber shoes in a storm, the charge cannot pass on our bodies and we can avoid the lightning or thunder on our heads.

Aphorism #3

“Don’t assume that it’s too late to be involved in something.”

It's always not too late to get involved in something if you really want to learn. Just work hard, then you will be good at something even you were not good at before. Just start it right the moment when you feel like it. Like some old men and ladies that do not work hard or can't study when they were young. But they continue their education when they are old. In few years, they also graduate from the schools. Just work hard if you really want to do something.

Sometimes we think we are too old to do something and think we are too late to do something we really want to do. But we do not realize that we are so conditioned in the culture and we do what people think we should do. There is no right time to do anything, instead of investment in a bad market. My point is that people should do whatever they want to do even though they are old. It is always not too late to do things that can satisfy one self.

Aphorism #2

“Learn forgive yourself and to forgive others.”

Human beings make mistakes. Everyone does some mistakes in his/her lifetime. So it's very important to learn about forgiving one self and forgiving others. We need to try control our emotion when we feel like blaming people’s or our mistakes because there is no need to put our emotion in the situation. Don't be mad when people makes mistake. Being angry and unhappy is not helpful to the situation where the mistakes are done.

Instead of blaming to ourselves or others, we should think about how to solve the problems. To be productive and optimistic is also important when we look at the bad things. If we do not forgive ourselves and others and we stay in the angry and negative emotion all the time, we will not be happy and probably live in a miserable life. Therefore, learning forgiving ourselves and others is very important in our life.

Aphorism #1

“Get a much help as you can when you need.”

It means that when we need help, we should ask for it and don't be afraid of asking. We should get much help as we can. It can make things that we are working on more successful and easier. The more important is that we can solve the problem that we are not able to solve. Sometimes we are too shy to ask for help or we think it is a shame to ask for people’s help. In fact, asking for help and taking care of each other is one of the purposes that people live in a same community.

On the other hand, we can also help others. When people need help, we can help them as well.

what would a day be like without electricity

If I don't have eletricity for a day, I can't use my phone and computer. The only thing I will do is sleep for the whole day, or read some books in the day time because it will be dark at night. It will be a big inconvenience for me. My schedule will depend on the sunlight since I cannot have enough light in the night time. So the only time I can do my homework is in the day. Also, the high speed railroad cannot run and operate since it needs electricity. If the high speed railroad is not running, how can I go to school on time every day. I may have to get up more earlier such as 3 am and head out to school. That is crazy.... Anyway, I think my life will be a mess and go crazy without electricity.